


Have The Cake And Eat The Cake

by merycula (thanksillpass)



Category: Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball
Genre: Alternate Universe - Diners, Alternate Universe - Gender Changes, F/F, F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-09-28
Updated: 2014-09-28
Packaged: 2018-02-19 03:19:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,558
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2372585
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thanksillpass/pseuds/merycula
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>An unnecessarily long and unlikely love story that seems to have happened only to spite Himuro Tatsuya.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Have The Cake And Eat The Cake

At first, Tatsuya only wanted to make fun of Taiga in an apron. But the diner that had hired her cousin as a cook was actually really nice and it had this cozy, homely atmosphere. And the food was great, obviously, since Taiga was a true magician in the kitchen. Considering what she had to eat at the cafeteria at university, she didn’t mind paying her own cousin for a proper meal.

That one hot waiter was an added bonus, she supposed. Not the sharpest tool in the shed, but he was nice and cheerful, and that was the kind of person Tatsuya wanted to be around at the moment. Having someone as grumpy as Taiga for a roommate, she welcomed a bright smile and a light-hearted small talk. And Kise was really, really pretty. It was kind of preposterous that he was single.

Tatsuya became a regular before she knew it. It clearly didn’t sit well with Taiga, who suddenly seemed embarrassed whenever they spoke. Tatsuya suspected it had something to do with the other waiter, the one who always scared the customers by appearing out of nowhere. Kise adored him as well, but Kuroko’s charms eluded Tatsuya, just like the logic behind Taiga’s infatuation with him.

She did manage to be civil around the guy, of course, which wasn’t too difficult, considering how polite Kuroko always was. But when he came up to take Tatsuya’s order instead of Kise, on her day off when she finally had enough time to actually flirt, she had to draw the line.

“I took Kise-kun’s shift,” explained Kuroko in a slightly tired tone. “It’s his girlfriend’s birthday. He is going to drop by to pick up the cake if you want to say hi, though.”

Tatsuya blinked, stunned. “You have cake? Wait, he has a girlfriend?!”

“You do always say that it’s preposterous for Kise-kun to be single, do you not?”

Tatsuya gritted her teeth, blushing, and Kuroko did a very poor job of hiding a smirk. When Taiga came out to ring the bell, announcing the order, Tatsuya sent him a cold glare.

“I can’t believe you told him that! I’m your _family!_ ”

Taiga flushed, ducking his head. “He’s… persuasive, okay?”

Tatsuya rolled her eyes, because _really?_ Her cousin’s face was officially in the dictionary, next to the definition of _whipped._ How dared he being all in love when Tatsuya just found out she was being led on all this time. She was about to give them both a piece of her mind when Kise barged into the diner, all smiles and bright eyes, so Tatsuya decided to direct her righteous anger at him. She cleared her throat and smiled at Kise stiffly.

“Why didn’t you tell me you had a girlfriend?”

Kise’s face fell, twisting in confusion. “Huh? But I talk about her all the time? Kurokocchi, don’t I talk about Yukiocchi all the time?”

“You most certainly do, Kise-kun,” confirmed Kuroko in a deadpan.

Tatsuya’s eyes widened as she connected the facts. She pursed her lips, feeling her face getting hot in embarrassment. She wanted to play it cool, but her voice cracked slightly when she tried to speak.

 “Yukiocchi is your _girlfriend?_ ” she mumbled, feigning indifference.  “I thought it was your dog…”

Everyone stared at her, she knew, but she _really_ couldn’t be blamed for thinking that. All Kise talked about was how Yukiocchi “liked being scratched behind her ears,” and how she “kicked in her sleep,” and how she “was always growling at him even though he showed her nothing but affection,” and how she once “actually bit him!” What was Tatsuya supposed to think?!

Kuroko was the first to snort and after a while everyone was laughing. Tatsuya pouted, crossing her arms on the table, and hid her face behind them. Well, that was definitely mortifying, but she gradually came to terms with the situation. It wasn’t like she had her heart broken, let’s be realistic, but she was still upset over wasting so much time on someone unavailable.

When the laughter died out, Tatsuya carefully lifted her head and discovered that she was alone with Kise, who was looking at her with unexpected seriousness. She swallowed, nervously fixing her hair.

“Himurocchi, do you have a crush on me?” he asked, biting his lip.

He sounded so concerned and conflicted that she couldn’t help smiling. Kise was so _nice_ it was ridiculous. He liked to act tough and come off as a player but he was just a sweet boy with a big heart. _Of course_ Tatsuya liked him and she obviously wasn’t going to stop just because he had a girlfriend. They could still be friends if she was honest and made it perfectly clear that there wouldn’t be any problems.

“It isn’t a _crush,_ ” she said, shrugging. “I really don’t have any romantic feelings for you, I know you, like, two weeks. I just thought you were pretty.”

Kise gasped, covering his mouth with his hand. “Past tense?! Himurocchi, you don’t think I’m pretty anymore?! That’s cruel!!!”

“Fine, fine! I still think you’re pretty. Happy now? Don’t let your girlfriend catch you asking other girls to pay you compliments.”

She shook her head in fond exasperation when Kise beamed at her, clearly satisfied. The silence that followed wasn’t uncomfortable, which was a relief, but it was kind of embarrassing when her stomach growled and Kise could hear it. He chuckled lightly when Tatsuya rubbed her belly, scrunching her nose.

“I need comfort food,” she decided.

Kise immediately rose to his feet. “Oh, I’m picking up the cake from Murasakibaracchi, you want me to bring you something? I’m gonna bring you something. She makes the best cakes! What’s your favorite?”

“Wait, wait, I don’t really like sweets, it’s okay! I’ll ask Taiga to make me an omelet or something.”

Kise pouted, visibly upset about failing to cheer Tatsuya, as if she actually needed it.  She lost sight of him, distracted by another growl from her stomach, and called Kuroko to order a breakfast. Kuroko was visibly restless, kept glancing behind his shoulder and checking his hair as he absentmindedly took down Tatsuya’s order.

“Everything alright, Kuroko-kun?” she asked.

“Yes, I’m quite fine, thank you, Himuro-san. Will that be all? Do you want some cake with that?”

Tatsuya scowled in suspicion. “You never offered me cake before.”

“We do not usually serve cake.”

“And you do today? I’m confused.”

Kuroko sighed. “We do not have cake on the menu because our relationship with Murasakibara-san is _complicated._ She doesn’t technically work here, Aida-san isn’t actually paying her, she comes and goes as she please, using our kitchen to bake. I think she used to be properly employed here, for a very short time, but she has… an attitude problem, so the arrangement has been changed.”

Tatsuya pursed her lips and scrunched her eyebrows, deep in thought. That sounded like more trouble than it was worth and she couldn’t really wrap her head around the situation. She wanted to ask what was their reason to accommodate someone like Murasakibara but Kuroko, perceptive as ever, answered before she had the chance.

“We let her do that because her pastries taste like happiness.”

That sounded weirdly _strained_ , coming from Kuroko’s mouth. He looked mildly constipated too, shifting nervously on his feet. Suddenly, Tatsuya felt a smug grin blooming on her face.

“That’s why you’re so antsy,” she realized. “You’re annoyed because you took Kise’s shift and now Murasakibara’s here. You don’t like her.”

Kuroko nodded, cringing slightly. “I admit we do not… see eye to eye on most matters. Work ethics for one. As to my guarded posture… Murasakibara-san is very tall and she finds my height, which is very average if I may add, _amusing._ ”

The image of some ridiculously tall girl ruffling Kuroko’s hair, as if he was a child, flooded Tatsuya’s mind and she felt bliss. She sat more comfortably in the chair and smiled, relishing Kuroko’s obvious irritation.

“I _will_ have a cake,” she decided. “Noting too sweet, if it’s possible. Thanks, Kuroko-kun.”

Kuroko nodded stiffly and walked away, leaving Tatsuya extremely pleased and intrigued. The fact that Murasakibara didn’t seemed to get along with Kuroko was rather comforting, but it wasn’t the only reason Tatsuya felt herself drawn to that mysterious girl. It seemed that Murasakibara’s only good quality was baking talent, which she apparently used in a very lazy and disorderly fashion, and it was enough to pique Tatsuya’s curiosity. She supposed that eating the cake would be a good enough place to start.

* * *

Take it from someone who didn’t like sweet things – Murasakibara’s pastries did taste like happiness. When Tatsuya took the cake home to eat later, she wasn’t expecting much, but she nearly cried when she tasted the cake. From then on, she came back to the diner every day, not to stare at Kise, but in hope of catching the miraculous baker.

She grilled every worker about any piece of information on Murasakibara but no one seemed to have anything particularly flattering to say about her. She was said to be lazy, childish, uncooperative, selfish, antisocial, and rather terrifying. Truth be told, it was slightly discouraging, considering Tatsuya’s need for nice and fun people in her life, but she never shied away from a bit of work. She liked a challenge and Murasakibara Atsushi sure seemed like a one.

She came to call her Atsushi in her mind – it suited her somehow, that boyish name. Tatsuya liked contradictions, things that didn’t seem to fit together. That’s why she found Kise attractive; a tall, muscular boy with a delicate, almost girly face that seemed kind of out of place. Atsushi interested her enough as it was, but Tatsuya wanted to know what she looked like, to complete the image of Atsushi that she had in her head.

“How tall is tall? I’m tall. I’m tall for a girl. I’m taller than you. So how tall are we talking?”

Kuroko rolled his eyes. “Do you wish to see a picture, Himuro-san?”

Tatsuya nodded vehemently and kept tapping her foot nervously when Kuroko retrieved his phone.

“No, Kuroko, don’t do that,” protested Taiga. “She’s obsessed enough as it is…”

Tatsuya scowled, confused. “What are you talking about, Taiga? I am not obsessed.”

“You’re kind of obsessed, Himurocchi,” offered Kise reluctantly. “I’m sorry but it’s true! Murasakibaracchi is all you talk about anymore.”

Tatsuya huffed, using the menu to hide her face from the prying eyes of her friends. Was she obsessed? Was that an actual obsession? Was that weird? She didn’t feel like it was, but perhaps she was biased. She was just so immensely intrigued, she couldn’t help but want to meet Atsushi in order to satisfy her curiosity. That was it.

Until, of course, Kuroko tapped her on the shoulder and showed her his phone, which basically shattered all her illusions. _Stunning,_ was the only thing that came to Tatsuya’s mind. She didn’t understand; everyone seemed uncomfortable with the subject of Atsushi’s appearance and they always tried to avoid it, so Tatsuya assumed she was really, really, hideous.

But she was gorgeous – insanely tall, with strong limbs and wide hips that made Tatsuya’s mouth dry. And Tatsuya was well aware that she had unconventional tastes but, apart from a really bored expression, there really was nothing unappealing about Atsushi at all. Tatsuya felt heat rising to her cheeks, realizing the how ridiculously attracted she was to that girl, despite everything.

“Now you’ve done it, Kuroko,” muttered Taiga, looking over her shoulder.

Tatsuya startled, almost dropping the phone as she tried to give it back to its owner. “Shut up, Taiga,” she muttered, embarrassed.

“What do you mean, Kagami-kun?” pressed Kuroko, regardless.

“Tatsuya has a thing for manly chicks and girly guys,” explained Taiga, causing Tatsuya to swat him on the shoulder. “What?! You do!”

“It’s not as _simplistic_ as you’re making it to be!”

Kise gasped suddenly. “Himurocchi, do you think I look like a girl?! Is that why you said I was pretty?! Because I’m girly?!”

“No, Kise-kun, don’t start crying…” pleaded Tatsuya, rubbing her temple and cursing Taiga inwardly. “It’s not like that, I don’t think you look like a girl. It’s just that your face doesn’t really match the rest of your body, okay? You don’t have _boring_ looks like Taiga, where he has muscles upon muscles and a face of a thug. Your body is strong but your face is soft, that’s all. That’s what I find attractive. Stop crying, please.”

Kise seemed to relax after a moment, but his little breakdown did put the recent case of her being attracted to him into perspective. It made Tatsuya feel grateful that it never escalated to anything beyond physical attraction, because it seemed that it took a special brand of person, like the infamous Yukiocchi perhaps, to deal with _all_ sides of Kise Ryouta’s character.

When Kise, still suspicious, took it upon himself to check with every customer and coworker if he didn’t actually look like a girl, Tatsuya finally had some time to think. Not that it brought her any pleasure, considering she had to decide how to approach the issue of her being _very_ attracted to Atsushi and, possibly, _a little bit_ obsessed with her. What if Atsushi was exactly what others made her out to be and Tatsuya wouldn’t like her?

“Sorry for intruding~”

A low, bored voice pulled Tatsuya from her thoughts and she turned around instinctively, only to completely freeze in shock when she saw Atsushi, wearing the ugliest set of baggy jeans and worn out sweater. Tatsuya’s heart skipped a bit at the sight and she wanted to smack herself for acting like she was in middle school again. Kuroko greeted Atsushi stiffly and didn’t manage to avoid her fingers winding into his hair. Tatsuya involuntarily snorted at his annoyed expression, deciding to step in and graciously save him.

“Hello,” she offered with a big smile.

Atsushi gave a blank look from behind her bangs. “Huh? Who are you? A new waitress?”

“No, no, I don’t work here, I’m Himuro Ta-”

Atsushi didn’t let her finish. “That means I don’t have to talk to you.”

Tatsuya did manage to keep her smile up but her brow twitched in irritation as her fists clenched reflexively. Kuroko looked sympathetic as Atsushi unceremoniously bypassed her, leaving Tatsuya utterly _crushed._

“We did tell you her attitude left a lot to be desired,” offered Kuroko after a moment.

Tatsuya shook her head. “I know, I know. I guess I just had to experience it on my own skin. Excuse me.”

She didn’t say good-bye to Taiga and Kise before she left the diner. Of course, she wasn’t expecting and I-told-you-so’s but she preferred to avoid their pity. It wasn’t a big deal, after all. Her first encounter with Atsushi obviously didn’t go as anticipated, but she really should have seen it coming. She’s always been too optimistic about life, she was bound to get burned once or twice.

Sure, it was disappointing. It kind of hurt, even. But it wasn’t unbearable, which proved she wasn’t obsessed, at the very least. Her curiosity was satisfied, one way or another, and it was not a big deal. Just like she handled being attracted to a guy in a committed relationship, whom she saw every single day, she would learn to manage her attraction to an asshole, who would probably cross paths with her only once in a blue moon. Not a big deal, at all.

* * *

The universe was apparently testing her. For some reason, Atsushi decided to drop by the diner more often. Perhaps she was short on money, or got bored with whatever it was she did in her spare time. Tatsuya didn’t really care and she was really alright with the situation.

She was always kind to Atsushi, whenever she graced her with a moment of her time, but she wasn’t deluding herself anymore. Once Atsushi accepted her as a part of the group, she became slightly less patronizing and hostile, but she still acted like an insufferable brat most of the time. It continued to be rather upsetting, how Tatsuya seemed to be unable to take her eyes off Atsushi, but she eventually managed to distance herself emotionally – like she thought, it wasn’t a big deal.

Taiga hated her, which was predictable. There was some rivalry involved, and those two were certainly childish enough to consider their respective culinary domains as an actual field of competition. They bickered at lot, for which Kuroko seemed immensely grateful, considering it got him off the hook for the time being. Kise was mostly just happy he had another pair of ears to talk to about his Yukiocchi.

Things were really good, and Tatsuya was really okay. The closer to the end of semester, the more she thought about hiring herself in the diner, part-time. Taiga eventually accepted her decision begrudgingly, but it was highly encouraged by Kise. Kuroko didn’t seem to care, beyond admitting they could use extra help during vacation. As for Atsushi, she didn’t seem to notice Tatsuya’s existence at all most of the time, which didn’t make Tatsuya bitter in the slightest.

But things were good and Tatsuya was okay.

“I liked Aka-chin better,” mumbled Atsushi one day, munching on Taiga’s pancake.

Tatsuya could see Taiga trying to break a spoon in his hands in order to vent his frustration and she smirked. She took a sip of the lukewarm coffee that Kuroko placed in front of her, prepared just the she liked, and she wondered when Kuroko started offering her those little bits of kindness.

“Akashi-kun tried to poison everyone in the diner after one customer complained about his cooking,” reminded Kuroko.

That was a piece of information that was bound to cause Tatsuya to choke on her coffee. She gasped for air, hitting her chest frantically and trying to compute the fact that her cousin took the job of a psychopath.

“Muro-chin, you okay?”

The was no audible concern in Atsushi’s voice, an inconvenienced irritation more than anything, but Tatsuya flushed nonetheless. Thankfully, it could be blamed on her nearly choking to death, so she just smiled weakly, waving her hand dismissively.

“Yes, I’m fine, thank you, Atsushi.”

Atsushi clicked her tongue as she did whenever Tatsuya used her first name, dropping the honorifics altogether. It was petty, but if she had even one way of making Atsushi uncomfortable, Tatsuya would take consolation in it. Atsushi excused herself and soon Tatsuya could hear her arguing with Taiga in the kitchen. Deeming it safe, she slumped on the counter and sighed heavily.

“She smells like sugar and I should hate it but I don’t and I hate it,” she confessed to no one in particular. “Why does she keep coming here so often? It’s the third time this week...”

Kuroko hummed. “If I may be honest, Himuro-san, I believe Murasakibara-san comes here to indulge in your company.”

“What?!” exclaimed Tatsuya, lifting her head to look at Kuroko, unable to hold back a laugh. “That’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard. She barely speaks to me, if you haven’t noticed.”

“You’re right, Himuro-san,” said Kuroko with a shrug. “It’s not my place to make assumption, I apologize. However, the change in the frequency of Murasakibara-san’s visits does coincide with you two getting acquainted.  You must admit it is rather curious.”

With that, Kuroko walked away to cleaned the tables and Tatsuya continued sipping on her coffee. To avoid even entertaining the notion that Kuroko tried planting in her head, she focused her gaze on Atsushi’s unfinished pancakes. She wondered if they were as sweet as she expected them to be. Atsushi’s addiction to anything sweet confounded Tatsuya, not only because she herself was averse to sugar, but because Atsushi somehow managed to stay _fit_ despite the amount of food she consumed.

Tatsuya exhaled a frustrated sigh, hating that she kept thinking about so many things involving Atsushi. To distract herself from dangerous trains of thought, she pulled out a book, scanning the pages absentmindedly. It was better than agonizing over still apparently crushing on a girl who seemed to hate her for no reason at all. It was so easy to get Kise out of her head, what was so different about Atsushi? Why was she looking for an answer in a cheap romance story?

She was about to shove the book back into her bag and leave, when Atsushi came out and placed a tiny plate with a piece of cake in front of her, ordering Tatsuya to try it.

“Ask Kuroko or Taiga,” said Tatsuya tiredly. “I told you I don’t like sweet things, Atsushi…”

Atsushi huffed. “I know. I made it so you like it. Eat.”

Tatsuya reached for the fork reluctantly and inspected the cake before taking a bite. Her eyes watered as soon as she tasted the criminal deliciousness that Atsushi prepared. It almost wasn’t sweet at all, and Tatsuya could tell something else was used instead of sugar; it tasted heavenly. She licked her lips and hummed when she finished, opening her eyes she didn’t even realize she had closed.

“This was amazing, Atsushi,” she said honestly. “God, I think I’m crying. Thank you, it was delicious.”

Atsushi nodded, scowling for some reason, and turned around to go back to the kitchen. Her ears were pink and Tatsuya wondered if it was from the heat of the oven or if she actually embarrassed Atsushi with her compliment.

“Why do you do this, Atsushi?” she asked before the girl could disappear behind the door. “The random baking thing, I mean.”

Atsushi turned back around to face her and shrugged. “Because I’m good at it.”

“You can admit it’s your hobby you know,” teased Tatsuya, amused with Atsushi’s curt answer.

“I don’t do it because I like it. It’s less boring than most things but I do it for profit, not fun.”

Tatsuya hummed, realizing that must have been what Kuroko meant when he spoke of Atsushi’s work ethics. Atsushi looked impatient and Tatsuya shivered under her annoyed glare. For a moment she forgot that they weren’t having an actual friendly conversation, but Atsushi was merely humoring her when she answered her question. Tatsuya cleared her throat awkwardly and started packing her bag.

“Sorry for asking,” she muttered. “I know you hate me and it’s none of my business. Thanks again for the cake. It was really, really delicious.”

She hastily got up, avoiding eye contact all the while, and scrambled to leave. She was near the door when Atsushi finally spoke.

“But I don’t hate Muro-chin.”

Tatsuya turned around instantly, nearly getting whiplash, but Atsushi was already gone. She could hear Taiga grumbling behind the door, but Atsushi didn’t respond in any way. Biting her lips, Tatsuya briefly considered confronting Atsushi but she decided against it rather quickly. Atsushi might have not hated her, but she could still: dislike her, be indifferent about her, maybe tolerate her, or perhaps acknowledge her. There was a long way between not hating and liking someone and there was no point in getting her hopes up again. Tatsuya was smarter than that.

* * *

As soon as she started working at the diner, Tatsuya had substantially less time to mull over her predicament – the place was busy students with more free time on their hands, families on vacation, occasionally even tourists. Between work and spending breaks with everyone, Tatsuya didn’t have time to be frustrated about the fact that Atsushi started coming in  _every single day_ at some point.

It was actually rather hard to even _be_ frustrated, considering how easy it became to be around Atsushi. Tatsuya fell into a routine of sorts, and she became a big part of it. Atsushi kept making her different cakes – never too sweet, always almost too delicious to handle – while Tatsuya finally learned to prepare her tea with the right amount of sugar. She would always remind Taiga to add extra sugar to Atsushi’s order, and two times a week, when it was Tatsuya’s turn to close the diner, Atsushi would stay and help.

They never actually talked much, it was always Tatsuya talking _at_ Atsushi and receiving bored hums in return. Sometimes she would indulge Tatsuya but most of the time she just listened, or at least pretended to, but Tatsuya liked to believe she did pay attention. Considering Atsushi’s reputation as  inattentive and indifferent, Tatsuya felt pretty special having that rare shreds of interest focused on her. Atsushi was decidedly trying to be nicer – she still argued with Taiga and harassed Kuroko, but she occasionally managed to muster a smile for Tatsuya.

She had no idea when she started to take care of Atsushi in return for her own efforts – fixing her clothes or her hair, making sure the meal she ordered had enough nutrition, helping her with shopping for ingredients. It was rather unexpected, but they actually became something that Tatsuya would describe as “reluctant friends.” It wasn’t like she wanted to be _just friends_ with another person she found attractive, and it wasn’t like there was anything more to Atsushi’s behavior than convenience, so the term seemed to fit on both sides.

Tatsuya was strangely okay with that, most of the time. Of course, there were some trying times as well. Tatsuya’s will was tested whenever Atsushi dressed in a particularly appealing way, or tied up her hair when she worked, or touched Tatsuya’s hand to get her attention. Of course, Tatsuya had come to terms with how absolutely pointless it was to hold any hopes of actually making Atsushi like-like her, considering how she still wasn’t exactly sure whether Atsushi even regular-liked her. She had given up, really, but it was difficult sometimes.

Tatsuya reached her limit when Atsushi walked into the diner wearing a suit. Not only did she drop the plate she was holding, causing unnecessary ruckus, but she got so flustered that she couldn’t take down a simple order and had to hide in the bathroom. Splashing her face with cold water didn’t help much, not when Atsushi followed her. Tatsuya forced on a smile, asking about the special occasion. Atsushi scowled, visibly embarrassed, and avoided eye contact.

“I thought I’d try working here again. It’s boring during vacation.”

Tatsuya nodded, swallowing. “I’m sure Aida-san will welcome you with open arms. You’ll do great. You- you look very nice today.”

“Arara, embarrassing, Muro-chin…”

Atsushi’s disgusted expression startled a chuckle out of Tatsuya and that, in turn, brought a small smile to Atsushi’s face. Tatsuya excused herself, needing to get back to work, and due to a momentary lapse of judgment, she took Atsushi’s hand in hers and squeezed briefly before letting go and passing her by.

“Good luck, Atsushi.”

Nearly hyperventilating mere seconds after leaving the bathroom, Tatsuya located Kise and dragged her unsuspecting coworker into the backroom. Confused, Kise took in her panicked expression and instantly mirrored it.

“Himurocchi, you’re scaring me,” he wailed.

“I think I’m in love with Atsushi.”

Kise froze, blinkink slowly. “That’s _it?_ Seriously, Himurocchi, I was really scared for a moment that something bad happened!”

“How is it not bad?! I _love_ her. I’m in _love_ with someone who barely tolerates me, at best. How is this not bad?!”

Kise hummed thoughtfully, trying to come up with a comforting answer, and Tatsuya was terrified. All it took to break her was to hold Atsushi’s hand, to feel how warm and slightly shaky it was, to realize how nice it fit in Tatsuya’s own. It wasn’t just physical attraction anymore, it wasn’t a simple fascination, or an ordinary like. She was in love with Atsushi and it was really, really bad.

“I can’t be around her anymore, Kise-kun. I need to go. Far, far away. Maybe I should go back to the States, I still have some friends there-”

Kise lifted his hands. “Whoa, whoa, Himurocchi, what are you even talking about, you can’t just-”

Before Kise could finish, the door burst open, revealing a very angry-looking Atsushi. She looked at Tatsuya with narrowed eyes, breathing heavily through her nose. Instinctively, Tatsuya turned around and held out her hand, but Atsushi slapped it away, huffing.

“Muro-chin is _leaving?_ ”

Too stunned to speak, Tatsuya gaped incredulously until Atsushi gave in to impatience and walked out of the room. When Kise saw her heading straight for the door, he run after her.

“Wait, Murasakibaracchi, what about your interview?! Ugh, what a mess, why is everyone here so hot-headed?! You okay, Himurocchi? Are you- are you crying?”

Tatsuya was, apparently. Composing herself to the best of her abilities, she wiped her face and asked Kise for Atsushi’s number. If she hurried, she could stiff fix it, granted that Atsushi was willing to talk to her at all. Unsurprisingly, none of her calls went through.

“Do you know where she lives?” she asked with determination.

Kise nodded. “Go, I’ll cover for you. I’ll email you the address.”

The ride to Atsushi’s apartment wasn’t long, but it still felt like a huge waste when it turned out no one was home. Not allowing herself to panic, Tatsuya tried to focus enough to remember any place that Atsushi could have mentioned at some, and try there. It took her two hours, but she eventually found Atsushi sitting outside the only store in the district that offered the Cream Stew flavored Maiu-bo, eating them sulkily. When she noticed Tatsuya, she snorted and wordlessly offered her one of the snacks.

“I’m not actually going anywhere, Atsushi,” she explained, accepting the snack. “You can’t do things like that, we were worried. _I_ was worried.”

Atsushi nodded. “I got really angry.”

“I know. But you can’t throw a tantrum like that over _people._ I’m not a toy someone tried to take away from you. You should have let me explained.”

Atsushi nodded again, letting her hair fall down her face. Tatsuya reflexively reached out to tuck loose strands behind her ear and let her hand linger. Atsushi refused to look at her, but Tatsuya could tell by the change in her breathing that she was aware of Tatsuya’s actions.

“I know you’re not a toy, Muro-chin. But I’m not a project either. You can’t fix me, or whatever you’re trying to do by being nice to me.”

Tatsuya blinked, stunned. “You think I’m nice to you because I’m trying to change you? I _like_ you, Atsushi, as simple as that. Why would I want to change someone I like?”

“That’s stupid,” muttered Atsushi, angling away in embarrassment. “I’m not likeable.”

Tatsuya chuckled softly; that was true enough. Atsushi was difficult, her questionable ethic left a lot to be desired, and dealing with her required compromise after compromise. But her awkwardness and all her quirks were endearing, and everything she offered so rarely, like passion and affection, only seemed more precious because of that. Smiling, Tatsuya carefully took Atsushi’s hand.

“I like you anyway,” she said.

Atsushi was silent for a moment, but she didn’t let go of Tatsuya’s hand. “I like Muro-chin too.”

Tatsuya’s heart was hammering in her chest, and she felt indescribable heat encompassing her. She was honestly shocked to hear the words she longed to hear for so long, despite all the signs she was only understanding now. She felt silly for ignoring them, and she would be angry at herself for wasting so much time, if she thought it was actually _wasted._ But she knew Atsushi better than that, she knew she had her own pace, and this particular moment, unlike any moments before, was the right time. Now, she could push.

“What do you mean by like, Atsushi?” she asked softly.

“Kissing and stuff,” mumbled Atsushi, turning her head to the side.

Tatsuya let out a relieve sigh, her heart threatening to burst out of her chest. “That’s good. Because I would like to kiss you very much right now. Would that be okay?”

Atsushi shook her head, still refusing to look at her. “I’m gonna taste like cream stew.”

Tatsuya frowned, because as far as legitimate excuses went, that one was pretty flimsy. She understood that Atsushi was embarrassed, self-conscious maybe, but didn’t she want to? Wasn’t she like Tatsuya, who felt like she was going to vibrate out if her skin in anticipation, like her ears wouldn’t stop ringing and her lungs wouldn’t start working properly until she kissed Atsushi? Impulsively, she ripped open the maiu-bo offered by Atsushi earlier and took a bite, chewing so quickly she almost choked.

“Now it’s fine, right? Now we will both taste like cream stew.”

Atsushi was staring at her incredulously for a moment before cracking a fond smile and relaxing her shoulders. She nodded, barely moving her head, and closed her eyes. Tatsuya grinned, shifting her body to face Atsushi properly. She just looked at her for a moment, taking in those hard irregular features that she found so beautiful. Slowly, she moved her hands to the sides of Atsushi’s hair, stroking her hair lightly. She felt happiness she couldn’t recall experiencing ever before. Just before leaning in, she wondered briefly if it was Atsushi’s first kiss.

If it was, Tatsuya felt oddly glad it tasted like cream stew.


End file.
